Shloka 6
Ācāra-vidhi (Rules of Conduct) — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Catalogue
बस्तिमूलं गुदं चैव पावकं समुपाश्रित: । वहन्मूत्रं पुरीषं चाप्यपान: परिवर्तते,अपान वायु जठरानल, मूत्राशय और गुदाका आश्रय ले मल एवं मूत्रको निकालता हुआ ऊपरसे नीचेको घूमता रहता है
bastimūlaṃ gudaṃ caiva pāvakaṃ samupāśritaḥ | vahanmūtraṃ purīṣaṃ cāpyapānaḥ parivartate ||
Wika ni Bharadvāja: Ang apāna-vāyu, na nananahan sa gawing ugat ng pantog, sa puwit, at sa apoy ng pagtunaw, ay patuloy na kumikilos pababa; dala ang ihi at dumi, inilalabas nito ang mga iyon mula sa katawan. Ipinapakita ng aral na ito ang disiplinado at tuwirang pag-unawa sa mga tungkuling pangkatawan bilang bahagi ng pagkakilala sa sarili at pagpipigil, na sumusuporta sa buhay na may dangal sa pamamagitan ng malinaw na pagtanaw sa kalagayang may katawan.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a clear understanding of the apāna-vāyu as the vital force responsible for downward movement and elimination. Such knowledge supports self-mastery: recognizing the body’s processes without attachment helps cultivate restraint, purity, and steadiness in dharmic living.
In a didactic explanation, Bharadvāja describes how apāna operates in the body—taking support near the bladder-root, anus, and digestive fire, and moving downward to carry and expel urine and feces—within a broader Shānti Parva discussion on inner discipline and the constituents of embodied life.